Download Islam in Egypt

Islam in Egypt
Within moments of arriving at Cairo’s International Airport, I could see that Egypt was in
fact, a predominantly Muslim country. As many women were wearing their head scarves
and somewhat conservative clothing, I felt that Shaunna and I stood out the most as our
heads were uncovered. Making our way to the hotel in Cairo, we passed numerous
mosques spread across Cairo. From this early stage, I sensed that the influence and
presence of the Islamic faith is very much prevalent in this city. Ironically, there is a part
of Cairo called “Islamic Cairo,” home to the city’s most important mosque and most
sacred shrine. To fully grasp Egyptian culture and society, one needs to understand Islam
and its teachings. It is said that Islam first came to Egypt in the 7th century, the year 640.
Ever since its arrival, the majority of Egyptians have adopted this religion. Currently,
about 90% of Egyptians are Muslims, believers of the Islamic faith, while the remaining
10% are Coptic Christians.
Islam is the youngest of the monotheistic religions of the world, founded about 1400
years ago. The founder of Islam is Prophet Mohammed (570 – 632 AD), who was born in
Mecca, found in present-day Saudi Arabia. As the Messenger of God (Allah), the divine
messages that he received from Allah are transcribed into the Quran (also spelt Koran),
Islam’s holy book. Once Prophet Mohammed died in 632, his followers spread this
newly-founded religion to different parts of the world, starting with the Arabia. Many
consider early Islam as expansionist in nature because it is believed that conquering
armies and migrating tribes left the Arabia specifically to spread the teachings of Islam.
Only eight years following the Prophet’s death, Islam reached Egypt, the gateway into
much of Africa from the Arabia. By the end of Islam’s first century, Islam was
widespread in much of North Africa and Asia. I’m confident that Egypt’s official
language of Arabic is a result of the Islamization of this region. As conquering armies
spread Islam, they spread their Arabic language and culture simultaneously.
Although Islam is different from the other monotheistic religions of Judaism and
Christianity, the three religions all recognize the same prophets, some of which include
Abraham, Moses and Jesus. In Islam however, Jesus is not recognized as the Son of God.
Muslims establish their own direct and personal relationship to Allah, without going
through any priests. There are five pillars of faith that Muslims have to adhere to: The
Shahada – The acceptance that “there is no god except Allah; Muhammad is the
Messenger of Allah”; Daily Prayers (Salat) – Muslims are required to pray five times a
day; Fasting Ramadan (Sawm) - Abstaining each day during Ramadan, the 9th Muslim
month. Nothing is to pass the lips from dawn till dusk; Almsgiving (Zakat) – Giving alms
to the poor and needy; Pilgrimage to Mecca (Hajj) – Muslims that are financially and
physically capable are to make a pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca, at least once in
their lifetime.
These past few days in Egypt have shown me just how these pillars are very central to the
lives of Muslims here. The most visible of them all are the daily prayers, which are
performed five times a day, at dawn, noon, afternoon, sunset and after dark. Since I have
been here, I have heard many prayer calls (the Adhaan), which are designed to summon
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the faithful. These calls are broadcasted across town from the mosques through speakers.
No matter where you are in town, you are very likely to hear some prayer calls, especially
if you are close to a mosque. The message here is simply “Allah is most great. I testify
that there is no God but Allah. I testify that Mohammed is His Prophet. Come to prayer.
God is Great.” For the dawn prayer call, the phrase “Prayer is better than sleep” is often
heard. Many believers stop what they are doing and perform their prayers.
To have a better understanding of how present-day Muslims in Egypt incorporate their
Islamic faith in their daily lives, I decided to visit a mosque; a venue where believers
meet to pray in congregation. Although prayers can be performed anywhere, many
believers, specifically males, perform their prayers at mosques. I attended the El-Azhar
Mosque and the El-Hussein Mosque, both located in Cairo. While the former is a
keystone of Islam in Egypt, built in 972, the latter mosque is named after the grandson of
Prophet Mohammed. In the El-Hussein Mosque, men and women each had their own
section where they perform their prayers; something that is quite common in mosques
world wide, I believe. While women have their own designated prayer space at the ElAzhar mosque, they can also pray in the same section as the men. I was told they can
only do so by praying behind the men, usually at the back of the room. On Fridays, the
holy day of Islam, all believers are expected to attend prayers at mosques. In Cairo, I
learnt that sometimes the mosques are so filled with believers that some have to pray
outside the mosques. At the El-Hussein Mosque, huge umbrellas open up to shelter those
praying right outside the mosque. Here in Egypt, and in many Islamic states, weekends
are commonly observed on Fridays and Saturdays, instead of Saturdays and Sundays.
This allows Fridays to be fully celebrated as the holy day of Islam.
In the El-Azhar mosque, I met three 12-year old boys who were sitting together reciting
the Quran. As I spoke with Ahmad Radwan, I learned that apart from performing his five
prayers a day, he comes to the mosque daily to learn the Quran. Pointing and making
reference to the Quran that he was holding in his hands, he said “I love you,” with a
bright smile on his face. Meeting these young boys who are so keen about the Quran
showed me the way in which Islam touches the lives of many believers, regardless of age.
I also had the opportunity of meeting the Imam of the El-Azhar Mosque, Sheikh Abdil
Hamid Yusuf. In Egypt and in other Islamic countries, Sheikhs/Imams play a significant
role in societies. As I entered the Imam’s working area, there were a number of people
sitting, waiting to speak to him, one by one. I observed as he placed his hand on one of
the girls, praying over her. I was moved to see a woman sit next to the Imam and as she
began to talk, she started crying, releasing her concerns. All these people come to the
Imam for counseling, guidance and comfort. His wise words and teachings, which he
derives from the Quran, guide him in helping people and in telling people what is right
and what is wrong in the Islamic faith. It would have been nice to be in Egypt during the
month of Ramadan just to see how this holy period is observed. I can almost imagine
how large and vibrant the Eid celebrations, celebrated at the end of the month of
Ramadan, are in Egypt since most of its peoples are Muslims. It is apparent that while the
majority of the women of Egypt wear head scarves and dress conservatively, more and
more of them are dressed in more fashionable clothes that match well with their head
scarves. There are also those that chose not to wear the headscarves.
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Link to:
-The Islamic Religion in Egypt
-The Islamic Faith
-The El-Azhar Mosque
Multi Media:
-Two Audio Clips
(1) The Call for Prayer – Adhaan (2) Young boys reciting a prayer from the Qu’ran
-Pictures of Mosque (Interior/Exterior); people praying; the Muezzin (the prayer caller);
the Imam.
-Video of Mosque (Interior) – if time permits.
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